


Kindhearted

by UsaChan1997



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Prompt Fic, Rejection, Umbrella, ladrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:34:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21676108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UsaChan1997/pseuds/UsaChan1997
Summary: Crushed by Adrien's rejection, Marinette hopes Ladybug can smile off a broken heart better than she could.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 1
Kudos: 61
Collections: 20-Minute Ladybug!





	Kindhearted

_“I’m sorry, Marinette. I… love someone else.”_

The words only served to hurt her, and yet, Marinette kept replaying them in her head. Over and over, a painful refrain.

She had been proud of herself when she first heard them, because she’d been strong enough not to cry. Strong enough to smile and assure her first love that yes, they could still be friends. But that strength didn’t last. It waned when she saw the smug look on Lila’s face, caught sight of Adrien’s guilty expression.

By school’s end, she hadn’t wanted to talk to Alya, who had looked very concerned, or to her parents, who were cheerfully oblivious. Even Tiki’s kind words rang false.

So she became her stronger self, thinking maybe Ladybug could smile off a broken heart better than Marinette could hope to.

She didn’t call Chat for patrol, she just leapt from rooftop to rooftop under a sky full of gathering clouds, alone with her thoughts until she unconsciously wound up at the Agreste mansion _. Stupid. How will this make anything better?_

She stopped swinging, landed by the side of the house and began to sob, her tears mingling with the beginnings of a storm. She leaned against the wall, hugging her knees, making herself as small as she could. Even though she was getting wet, she couldn’t bring herself to move. Then, suddenly—

“Ladybug?”

Marinette didn’t have to look up to know it was Adrien. Dread crashed in her stomach. How was she supposed to explain why the Heroine of Paris was ugly-crying outside his house? For a moment, she considered using her Lucky Charm, or just running away, but her thoughts were too addled to be useful. So she settled for wiping her eyes, raising her head and giving her best attempt at an undaunted grin.

The face she made was more of a grimace.

“Ladybug,” Adrien repeated, softer, holding his umbrella over her shivering form and kneeling down to look her in the eyes. “Are you…?” Crying. That was the implication, but he didn’t say it aloud. Perhaps out of politeness. Marinette’s chest ached.

“I’m fine,” contrary to her statement, her voice cracked.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Adrien took a seat next to her, holding the umbrella between them and not seeming to mind the fact that he was getting soaked, too. Marinette didn’t answer right away. _Why does he have to be so nice?_ She lamented _. It’d be easier to get over him if he was a jerk._

Cold from the rain, she found herself leaning against his shoulder. She briefly wondered if he’d find it weird, if she was making him uncomfortable, but he drew his free arm around her shoulders, letting her curl against him as her residual sobs quieted.

He didn’t ask again, but after awhile, Marinette felt the urge to tell him. “I, well,” she let out a long sigh. “I got rejected by my first love.”

Adrien blinked. “I see,” he made a conflicted face. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s not your fault,” she murmured.

“But,” Adrien continued, “if you don’t mind me asking, who on Earth would be dumb enough to reject a girl as amazing as you?”

That earned him a dry laugh from Marinette. “You’d be surprised,” she said. “Ladybug, the Hero of Paris, that’s only me at my best. My civilian self… I’m not very much like a hero at all.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Adrien raised an eyebrow.

“Why?” Marinette bit her lip, miserable. “You don’t know my real self.”

“Hm, how should I put this?” Adrien stroked his chin, pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts before looking seriously into her eyes. “You can’t just put on a costume and become a good person. There has to be something in your heart that allows all of that good to manifest. When you wear a costume—er, I can imagine— you can express yourself more freely. You’re anonymous, so it’s easier to be bold, right? But that doesn’t mean that all of that goes away once you transform back.”

Marinette was speechless. She looked away, covering her cheeks with her hands to hide her blush. “You really think so?”

“I do,” Adrien nodded, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “And maybe if this guy needs the costume to know you’re a great person, he’s too dense to be worthy of your love.”

Marinette’s heart clenched, and she let out a nervous chuckle. If only he knew he was talking about himself. Even with the irony of it all, in that moment, his kindness was enough to give her the courage to move forward. “Thank you, Adrien.”

Adrien helped her to her feet, brushing a kiss against her cheek and pressing the umbrella into her hands. “You should hurry home, M’lady. You’ll catch a cold.”

Too flustered to notice the term of endearment, Marinette nodded. “I will. Anks again, Thadrien. I mean, um, thanks again, Adrien!”

~~

The next morning, Adrien Agreste found the borrowed umbrella and a single, ladybug-shaped cookie sitting on his desk. He hadn’t the slightest idea how it got there, but it warmed his heart.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was created using my 20min randomizer prompt (I finished and cleaned it up in more than 20, but who's counting?) Umbrella--Hurt/Comfort--Ladrien. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, thanks for reading!


End file.
